IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, March 21: Responding to the mediation offer of Chief Justice of India in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has said that though such negotiation efforts have failed in the past, it would consider the offer as it has come from Chief Justice of India. However, the board made it clear that the negotiation for an amicable solution of the dispute should be in clean environment, with both parties having equal status and it should be based on justice and evidences and without any preconceived notion.
A Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul today said that the amicable settlement of the Ayodhya dispute was a better course than on insisting on judicial pronouncement.
“All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s stand has been that the dispute should be resolved either through dialogue or court. In the past also, several attempts were made for dialogue but all failed. The main reason of the failure was that the other party demanded us to vacate the place saying it was birthplace of Ram. So dialogues could not proceed further. If they have the same stand, then there is no use of fresh dialogue,” said Dr. SQR Ilyas, Co-convenor, Babri Masjid Committee of AIMPLB. AIMPLB is party to the case pending in the Supreme Court.
“However, as this offer has come from Chief Justice, we will look into it. Some basics should be agreed upon for a dialogue. It should take place in a clean atmosphere, both parties will have equal status in dialogue, and dialogue will be based on justice and evidences,” said Dr Ilyas.
“There should be no preconceived notion to dialogue. If dialogue takes place with these basics, then we have no objection to negotiation,” he said.
Hearing the case today, Chief Justice Khehar said that negotiated settlement between the parties to the dispute was the best course and he offered to act as a mediator provided that he would not hear the matter on the judicial side.
Justice Khehar told BJP leader Subramanian Swamy: “Any person of your choice. You want me to mediate (but) I will not hear (on judicial side). You want my brother (Judge). There are issues. You all sit together across the table and decide.”
Meanwhile, the BJP has hailed the offer of the Chief Justice.
“This is a very good step by the apex court. Even the BJP has been encouraging solving the issue through negotiations,” said P.P. Chaudhary, Minister of State for Law and Justice and a senior BJP leader.
Background
The title suit of Babri Masjid case is pending in court for seven decades. It was demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992 in the presence of senior leaders of BJP including LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court gave judgement on the title suit and order partition of the land in three parties. The order was challenged in the Supreme Court. The court is also hearing the demolition case.
